Show Commitment to Youth Employment By Paying NABCO Trainees; Mahama to Bawumia
Former President John Dramani Mahama has challenged the flagbearer of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to pay the nine-month arrears owed trainees of the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) to affirm his commitment to reducing youth unemployment.
Reacting to the veep’s youth engagement where he shared his plan to provide jobs for the youth when elected President, the Presidential aspirant of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) cast doubt on the former’s commitment.
In his speech at a campaign event, Mr Mahama based his doubt on the treatment meted out to the NABCO trainees by the government.
“On 1st May 2018, Nana Akufo-Addo and Bawumia called all the youth of Ghana to Independence Square to launch what they called NABCO trainees. They said they would enroll 100,000 youth. The youth with joy went to Independence Square in a branded T-shirt. They were promised jobs after their training.
“As I speak, the three-year training has ended. They have now been left to their fate. They have appealed on countless occasions to no avail. After failing to admit them into various job sectors as advertised, they have been deprived of their allowances. They are owed nine months’ allowance. I have seen a lot of petitions they have written.”
He challenged, “If the Vice President who wants to be President was indeed committed to providing employment to the youth, he would have paid the allowance of the NABCO trainees. Just Ghc700 a month for nine months you haven’t paid and yet you are telling you he will provide you with jobs. If indeed he is committed to provided jobs, let him pay the NABCO trainees.”
About the Programme
The NABCO programme was a government initiative to address graduate unemployment.
The focus of the initiative was to assist public service delivery in health, education, agriculture, technology, governance, and driving revenue mobilisation and collection, according to the government.
Launching the initiative in 2018, President Akufo-Addo said “NABCO will be the vehicle to deliver one hundred thousand (100,000) jobs in seven (7) prioritised areas, defined as the following modules: Educate Ghana; Heal Ghana; Feed Ghana; Revenue Ghana; Digitise Ghana; Enterprise Ghana; and Civic Ghana.”
The first and only cohort of Nation Builders Corps trainees ended their programme on September 1, 2022.
They were scheduled to end the programme in October 2021; however, the trainees were directed to remain at post after a two-week mandatory leave in November 2021.
Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini
